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Busan :: Busan_National_University_of_Education
 

Pūsan is also a Vedic Hindu god.

Busan Metropolitan City, also referred to as Pusan, is the largest harbor city in South Korea. With a population of about 3.65 million, Busan is also South Korea's second largest metropolis, after Seoul. The densely populated city is situated in the narrow Nakdong River valley, with mountains separating some of the various districts. It is located at 35°6'10" North, 129°2'25" East (35.102778, 129.040278). *

Busan was the host city of the 2002 Asian Games and APEC 2005. It was also one of the host cities for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Administratively, it is designated as a Metropolitan City. On November 14, 2005, the city officially announced its bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics Games.

Places of Interest

Geumjeong Mountain to the west is a popular weekend hiking spot for Busan residents. To the north, the neighborhoods around Pusan National University (also known as Busan National University) have student theaters, cafes, bars and restaurants, as well as open-air cultural street performances on weekend nights. Tongdo-sa is one of the major three Buddhist temples in Korea. Another temple, Beomeosa, is also very important in Korean Buddhism.

Dongnae area is a traditional, rich residential area. Dongnae Oncheon is a natural spa area with many baths, tourist hotels, restaurants, clubs and shopping areas. Many restaurants in the area are famous for their family recipes. Chungyulsa is a Confucian shrine for soldiers who died during the eighteenth century battle against the Japanese at Dongnae castle.

Busan is the so-called summer capital of Korea since it attracts tourists from all over the country to its six beaches. High class hotels and a carnival boardwalk line the Haeundae Beach district, which is generally regarded as one of the most beautiful beaches in Korea. Gwangan Beach is famous for its cafes, bars, and restaurants along the beach. The area around Pukyong National University and Kyungsung University has many cafes, bars and restaurants attracting college students and youth.

Seomyeon is recognized as the new downtown with many cafes, bars, restaurants, shops and shopping centers.

The Gwangbok-dong and Nampo-dong areas form the old downtown with many cafes, bars, shops and restaurants. Some of the restaurants in the area are famous with family recipes passed down the generations. Jagalchi Market (near the very active port) is an area of narrow street stalls and is well known for its fish market. Taejongdae, is a natural park with magnificent cliffs facing the open sea on the island of Yeongdo.

The area titled as the "Foreigners' Shopping Street", but commonly referred to as "Texas Street" near the main docks, has many Russian businesses that cater to the local Russian population, as well as the crews of foreign ships. Also famous for many brothels staffed with tall blonde Russian women. The area was originally known as the Foreigners' Street because many businesses were set up there during the 1940s and 1950s to cater for American soldiers in the area. The Pusan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone Authority, one of two such administrations (the other in the harbor of Incheon), was created to continue the tradition of Busan's status as an international trading center. It now attracts ships from all over the globe and aspires to become a regional financial center. Currently, Busan is ranked internationally as the third largest seaport in terms of cargo volume and efficiency by the AAPA.

Busan was one of the few areas in Korea that remained under the control of South Korea throughout the Korean War and for some time it was the capital of South Korea. UN troops established a defensive perimeter around the city known as the Pusan perimeter in the summer and autumn of 1950. Since then, like Seoul, the city has been an independent metropolis and has built a strong urban character.

Since 1982, the city has been home to the Lotte Giants, who play in the Korean baseball league. In Korea, Busan is known as the capital of baseball and has a reputation for very enthusiastic baseball fans.

The city is also home to K-League soccer side Busan I'park, the Daewoo Unicorns, which was the strongest team during the 1990s in K-league.

Busan is also famous for the Pusan International Film Festival, or PIFF, which is the largest and best-known international film festival in Asia and annually attracts huge numbers of tourists from all over East Asia and the world. Busan also hosts an annual polar bear swimming competition in Haeundae Beach during the winter.

Busan continues to be an important educational, cultural and economic center for the nation. Its beautiful beaches, festivals and glittering nightlife make it a popular destination for many tourists.

Administrative divisions

In 1957 Busan adopted a division system with the creation of 6 gu: Busanjin-gu, Dong-gu, Dongnae-gu, Jung-gu, Seo-gu, and Yeongdo-gu.

Today, Busan is divided into 15 gu (districts) and 1 gun (county).

History

Geochilsan-guk existed in the second and third centuries as a chiefdom of Jinhan. It was absorbed by Silla and renamed Geochilsan-gun. The word Geochilsan means rough mountain, probably referring to Hwangryeong-san, located at the center of the city. In 757, Geochilsan-gun was again renamed Dongnae, which it is still called.

From the beginning of the fifteenth century, the Korean government designated Busan as a trading port with the Japanese and allowed their settlement. Other Japanese settlements in Ulsan and Jinhae diminished later, but the Busan settlement, called Waegwan at the time, continued until Japan invaded Korea in 1592. After the war, diplomatic relations with the new shogunate in Japan were established in 1607, and Busan Waegwan was permitted to be reconstructed. The Japanese settlement, though relocated into Choryang later, continued to exist until Korea was exposed to modern diplomacy in 1876. In 1876, Busan became the first international port in Korea.

During the Japanese occupation, Busan developed into a hub trading port with Japan. Busan was also the only city in Korea to adopt the steam tramway before electrification was introduced in 1924.

Since 1978, Busan has opened three container ports including Jaseungdae, Shinsundae and Gamman. Busan is renowned as one of the world's largest ports and can handle up to 6.44 million TEU shipping containers per year.

Transportation

The Busan Coastal Ferry Terminal serves ferry services to many locations on Geoje Island as well as to Jeju City in Jeju-do.

Ferries leaving from the International Ferry Terminal on Busan Harbor Pier 1 connect Busan to the japanese ports of Izuhara and Hitakatsu on Tsushima Island, as well as the cities of Shimonoseki, Fukuoka, and Osaka on Japan's mainland.

  • PanStarPanStar (in korean), korean operator of the ferry linking to Osaka, Japan. operates the PanStar Ferry between Busan and Osaka.
  • The Seaflower 2, the ferry to Tsushima operated by Dae-a Express ShippingDae-a Express Shipping (in korean), operator of the ferry linking to Tsushima Island, Japan., carries passengers only between Busan and Hitakatsu in 1 hour 40 minutes and between Busan and Izuhara in 2 hours 40 minutes.
  • The Seonghee, operated by Pukwan FerryPukwan Ferry, operator of the ferry linking to Shimonoseki, Japan., links Busan to Shimonoseki.
  • One of the ferries to Fukuoka is the Camellia, operated by Camellia LineCamellia Line (in japanese), Korea Ferry (in korean). The Camellia make the trip to Fukuoka over-night in 7 hours 30 minutes, and trip back in the afternoon in 5 hours 30 minutes.
  • The other ferry service to Fukuoka is assumed by the Beetle s and the Kobee s, a group of 4 high-speed hydrofoils now run by MirajetKobee and Beetle, ferries linking to Fukuoka, Japan.. About 5 departures from each cities are scheduled every day. By hydrofoil it only takes 2 hours 55 minutes to cross the Korea Strait to Fukuoka.

Busan is served by Gimhae International Airport in the west.

Busan lies on a number of rail lines, of which the most important is the Gyeongbu Line which connects it to other major cities such as Seoul, Daejeon, and Daegu. All classes of trains run along the Gyeongbu Line, including the KTX trains which provide service to Seoul in approximately 150 minutes. The Gyeongbu Line terminates at Busan Station. Other lines include the Donghae Nambu Line.

The Busan Subway network contains three lines: Line number 1, Line number 2, and Line number 3. It's operated by the Busan Transportation Corporation.

Higher education in Busan

Universities with graduate schools

Other institutes of higher education

Business Organisations

See also

Notes and references

External links

Busan | Cities in South Korea | Coastal cities

Пусан | Busan | Busan | Pusan | Busán | Pusano | Pusan | 부산광역시 | Busan | Busan | Busan | 釜山広域市 | Busan | Pusan | Busan | Пусан | Busan | Pusan | Phủ San | Pusan | 釜山

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Busan".

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